


Tunnel of love ❤️

by Jadegirly2k, Totallymindlessbabble



Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:00:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28648695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadegirly2k/pseuds/Jadegirly2k, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Totallymindlessbabble/pseuds/Totallymindlessbabble
Summary: Thinking it didn't change the outcome of his day! The dispassionate voice that had run through his head for the last hour was replaced with one common thought: God, he hoped she was Okay!
Relationships: Victoria Hughes/Lucas Ripley
Comments: 12
Kudos: 22





	Tunnel of love ❤️

**Author's Note:**

> We decided to collab and write this. Hope you like it all. The title was totally chosen by totallymindlessbabble 😆

_This wasn't how it was supposed to be!_

Thinking it didn't change the outcome of his day! The dispassionate voice that had run through his head for the last hour was replaced with one common thought: _God, he hoped she was Okay!_

There was nothing he hated more than acting as interim Captain of a firehouse. He tried hard, not to be in the position often but unfortunate circumstances had called for it more than once. Four times to be exact. Each experience had only gotten worse.

His first experience had been with 23, after the previous captain had disliked the _friendly advice_ Lucas had offered him, when the sub par station had once again failed to enhance its performance. He'd said some...defiant.. comments, that had bunched the chiefs metaphorical panties enough for him to issue the older, though certainly not wiser, man with a formal warning. Captain Peters had walked out of station 23, vowing never to return, only ten minutes later. 

Suarez and Frankel had both refused to clean up Lucas' mess, leaving him to captain the incompetent team.

Between lack of ability, experience and nerves, day one had been a disastrous undertaking. They'd been so conscious around him, that they'd struggled to get into their turnouts without bumping into each other and tripping over their own damn shoes. The whole experience had been an embarrassment and not just for them. They'd left Lucas feeling rather red faced on more than one occasion, which didn't even include their performance in front of the recruit from Tacoma that he was trying to persuade to take up the reigns of the unimpressive team.

When his time at Station 12 had arrived, he'd been flooded by a bunch of over zealous, try hards that could rival Bishop for biggest brown noser. One of whom, had been trying so desperately to impress him, he'd taken a shortcut, before proceeding to trap the rig down a dead end alley. Suffice it to say, their adequate response times had quickly diminished.

The worst experience by far, had been at his champion station: 19. It was the A list of stations. Set in the heart of the city, with a team that took no prisoners and the best response times within the whole of the SFD. Problem was, it was lacking a Captain after Pruitt Herrera who had manned the ship for the past fifteen years, had taken ill. 

Lucas had been about ready to hand the reigns of that particular station, to the previous Captain's very own daughter. Until she'd messed up her chances by disobeying a direct order and risking the lives of who knew how many civilians and firefighters in the process.

That kind of emotion wasn't suitable for a Captain. The need for level headed thinking was essential.

And so, he'd been saddled with the responsibility, once again.

In a way, he was thankful for his bad luck! It was during his time there, that he'd first noticed a certain firefighter, who’d yelled at him twice previously, as more than just a young and impulsive employee. She'd captured his attention and invaded his thought process. He couldn't stop thinking about her expressive eyes and bright smile.

It was after his third foray into the Captaining world, that he'd made the most impulsive move of his life. He'd started a relationship with his subordinate. 

She'd invited him for a drink after flirting over chocolate cake and nothing in him had wanted to resist. So he hadn't.

Everything about her made him feel, alive and carefree. 

Vic was passionate about firefighting in a way he hadn't been for at least ten years. She had a lot to learn, about the sacrifices the job required, at times, but her concern for her team and people in general was endearing.

He hadn't thought it would last. It was supposed to be a bit of fun. She was nearly fifteen years his junior, he hadn't for a minute believed that she'd want it to morph into more, but it had and she'd come along for the ride.

One minute it was all about the pleasure they could offer each other and the next it was cosy nights in and cuddling under the duvet, fully dressed.

That was nearly eight months ago. Eight months of bliss. Okay, so it hadn't all been smooth sailing. They'd had a few ups and downs. In fact, they were still in the mist of a bit of a down. But he wanted to make it work. 

She'd met his sister a while back. Which, for Lucas, screamed commitment. He wasn't sure if she was aware of that, yet because he hadn't out right said it to her. But he hadn't wanted to rush her. Or worse, scare her away.

They'd had some conversation about previous relationships. He'd been married twice before, whereas she had very little experience with long-term. Her own words were that she was a one 'n' done girl. Lucas was definitely hoping he'd be the exception.

The second time he'd taken on the duty of interim Captain at station 19, his fourth in all, it had been almost impossible to remain professional with Victoria so close by. His hands seemed to have a mind of their own whenever he was in her vicinity. They'd spent _a few_ nights, illicitly, in the captain's bunk, exploring more than the monthly stats. 

Okay, so he was lying to himself, that each time had gotten worse...this was far from...worse!

Sullivan, the current captain of 19 had, unusually requested, a sabbatical, so that he could go fight the wildfires in California. Lucas had wanted to be supportive but didn't have the man power to allow it. The downtrodden visage, sported by the towering man, had made Ripley wince on more than one occasion. If there was anything he could have done, to support his friends emotional recovery after a fifteen year spiral, he would have. And so, Lucas had very graciously, sacrificed himself and agreed that Sully could have a couple of weeks, while he covered his ass.

Sullivan had smirked, amusement bright in his eyes, for the first time in a long time and Lucas had known he'd made the right decision.

Now, as they sat in the engine, Ripley was trying hard not to glance behind himself, at the object of his constant desire, and her temporary counterpart, Davis, from station 39. He was looking for some overtime and a bit of experience in a livelier house and as he was desperately trying to keep his head afloat, between Manning the station and fulfilling his duties as Chief, Lucas hadn't seen why he couldn't work out at station 19.

Even if he had looked, she'd been studiously ignoring him for the last couple of days and if Lucas was honest, it stung.

Thinking about Davis, was the equivalent of a cold shower, dousing his thoughts of the enticing woman, currently sitting next to him.

They’d had reports of a kid being trapped in a new underground railway tunnel that was being built. Lucas shook his head as they pulled up. It was a full on construction site with a tunnel-boring machine and scaffolding. The site foreman had agreed to meet them even though they’d shut down for the night. It was inconvenient for the man, but they’d had a call and needed to investigate. Lucas wouldn’t be able to live with himself if someone died and he could have prevented it. 

As chief, he understood sacrifice, but not unnecessarily. People would die. He knew that. But only as a last resort. As a "we tried everything, there is no other choice!" Not because they couldn't be bothered to check out a report or because someone had gone home for the day.

“Ok, 19. We’ve got two tunnels approximately 4.3 miles long. We need to split into teams. Warren and Bishop you stay on aid. We’ll radio through if we find anything. Montgomery, you’re with me. We’ll take the left tunnel. Hughes and Davis, you’re on the right tunnel." She was avoiding any eye contact with him. With a quiet sigh, he continued "Let’s find this kid and get back for dinner. Hopefully, Gibson and Miller have cooked up a treat." He grinned forcefully, turning his back and leading the way in.

Over the past week, he'd questioned the decision he'd made to allow Sullivan to go on sabbatical and leaving himself to cover that station. 

He figured it was selfish of him to restrict his friend from doing something that might have an impact on helping him to heal. But after careful consideration, he wondered if allowing the other man, had been more selfish.

Selfish, because, perhaps he'd made the wrong choice, in taking up the responsibility of being the leader for a team that he had more concern for than he'd have on average.

He had a vested interest in the safety of Victoria Hughes, even when they were in the mist of a fight, because, she was more than someone he'd shared the captain's bunk with on the odd occasion.

Would any decisions he made about her be impartial and if he was aware of the possibility that they wouldn't be, did he have a moral dilemma on his hands. 

He was the Chief of the Seattle Fire Department. It was a fundamental part of his role, that he be able to lead by example.

What kind of leader was he if he couldn't recognise his own weaknesses? A weakness that shouldn't have had the chance to form. This was the reason the SFD had rules about relationships with ranking members of the department. He was pretty certain, him engaging in a sexual relationship with an unranked firefighter who was nearly half his age, would be more than frowned upon. He winced at the idea that he would probably be thrown out on his ass, stripped of all of his benefits and his pension before he could finish the declaration

_"I'm having sex with a junior, female firefighter! But don't panic I'm pretty sure, maybe not that sure actually, that I'm not that invested, well I'm a little invested, but not enough that it would compromise my ability to allow her to die if the situation called for it!"_

"Chief?" The voice called him back to reality, as he turned sharply to look at Montgomery, frowning "Bishop's wondering what you want them to do next?"

Ripley shook his head, minutely, clearing it of his previous thoughts so that he could concentrate on the situation at hand.

_See! He was already loosing his ability to work without being distracted by their relationship._

He figured they were probably, only about half a mile into the tunnel. Having Bishop and Warren hovering around outside was a waste of man power. The aid car could be of use somewhere else.

“Head back, we’ll call you if we need you. This is going to take a while!" Ripley sighed.

“Copy that chief. See you back at the barn” Bishop sounded far too chirpy and for a nano second, Lucas considered vetoing the last command, maybe even telling her to follow them in, to walk the entirety of the tunnel, possibly taking up a few hours of her time, just to make her suffer, before rationalising that such thoughts were ungenerous and unbecoming of a man in his position.

"Sounds like Bishop is pleased!" Montgomery chuckled, laughing nervously as Lucas raised an eyebrow at him, bobbing his head once in an affirmative gesture.

He liked Montgomery, really he did. He'd been Michael's Captain, back when he was a rookie. That was long before he'd met Montgomery, but after leading the recovery team for the previously mentioned man's body, after he'd died on duty, Lucas had been the one to tell his husband that he was never coming home.

It was the responsibility of that duty, among others that held him back from making relationships with his subordinates. One day, he might have to be the person they hated most in the world, when he had to give them an order they didn't like, or lead them to recover a fellow firefighters body, or leave them in a burning building. Or worse...tell them their friend, or loved one, had died.

That and the fact that Montgomery was too chatty. Not as bad as Vic, but she was far more endearing...and he fancied the pants off of her...he couldn't say the same about Montgomery, because listening to him, wouldn't lead to naked fun time.

Smirking on the inside, Lucas reflected on the ironic need to be serious and alert, not distracted by pointless chatter...or imagining certain subordinates out of their uniform!

The tunnels were minimally lit with light poles on scaffolding every few hundred yards, the frame of the tunnel having already been built.

Looking around he could still see huge gaps in the concrete where they were probably going to lay tracks or cables. It would be easy to trip and sprain an ankle If they weren’t careful.

Glancing ahead down the precarious looking hollow, Lucas evaluated the situation, coming to the conclusion that the lighting seemed worryingly more sparse than they'd been prepared for.

The foreman had assured him they’d have adequate lighting the entire length but he didn’t feel confident. Reaching for his radio, he spoke into it.

“Hughes, Davis, check in?"

“….k… noth….sir…can’t ….nice." Came back the broken response, leaving both Montgomery and Ripley frowning deeply as they tried to decipher what the message meant. Hughes sounded her useful effervescent self, which made him feel more confident. Montgomery, too, seemed to release a breath as her chipper tone echoed around the cavern like structure. Glancing at the other man, Ripley couldn't help but agree with his assessment of the situation as he said,

"It must be the wall thickness interfering?” Montgomery frowned, the question in his statement, betraying his own lack of confidence.

“Hughes, if you can hear me switch to frequency 5.” Lucas sighed before changing his radio frequency. “Hughes come in?” He was met with silence and looked over at Montgomery.

“Davis are you still there?” Montgomery asked into his radio which was still set to the previous frequency.

“Chi…use.. aim” Davis' broken response came back. Montgomery shook his head at the chief who looked worried. Speaking into his radio again he called to dispatch to see if they could hear him, but continued to get no response.

“We can’t go on Montgomery. We’re cut off. Something must be blocking the signal.”

“But the kid sir?” 

Dammit, Ripley thought it was against his better judgement to continue with no back up but even that wouldn’t help as they’d still have no radio contact with the other team or anyone outside the tunnel.

_There was no way to instruct Vic to turn back either!_

That thought panicked him more than it should have. Something churned, uncomfortably, in his stomach.

They were about 1.7 miles in now. Sighing, he turned back to Montgomery.

“Okay, we'll go a little further. It doesn’t look like the lights go on much longer so we’ll re evaluate when we get to the end.”

Montgomery nodded, swallowing harshly as they continued walking.

Ripley was right. The few lights that were there flickered, while some weren’t functioning at all. They couldn’t go any further, lacking visibility as much as they were.

“Dammit.” Ripley cursed. “HELLOOOO.” He shouted, suddenly, making Montgomery visibly jump and let out a bit of a squeak.

The slightly younger man coughed, brushing invisible lint from his uniform and glancing around him, trying not to look as discomposed as he clearly was. When he recovered he joined in with calling out. Though Lucas couldn't tell for sure, he thought his voice was slightly higher than normal.

Still, they had no response. 

“Let’s head back we’ll need more resources. Hopefully, as we get closer to the entrance the radio signal will recover!”

Montgomery nodded and turned to start walking when he stopped. “Did you feel that?” 

Ripley shook his head before freezing as he heard something. He looked at Montgomery and knew that he’d heard it too, before...

_He'd been stuck at a conference all weekend and she'd been on shift when he'd gotten in last night._

_It wasn't like they were desperate to see each other. They'd only been doing this for a few weeks. Seven, his brain corrected, but seven weeks was still casual, right?_

_Lucas had missed everything about her. Her smile, her voice, the way she rambled when she was excited or nervous, or mad. The way she rambled, period, then! The feel of her soft skin against his own. How her hair felt as he ran his fingers through it. The way she wandered around in his shirt after they'd spent hours exploring each other. The tilt of her head when she was amused or confused. The feeling of being inside of her. Okay! He conceded. She might not have been desperate, but he was. Maybe things weren't quite as casual as he'd tried to convince himself. Not anymore._

_"How was the conference?" Vic asked as she opened the door, offering him a smile and turning, leaving the door open as an unspoken invitation._

So she definitely wasn't desperate!

_"I really don't want to talk about the conference right now!" Lucas smirked reaching out to grasp her elbow and pull her back towards him._

_Her eyebrows shot up and she glanced up and down him as he wrapped an arm around her waist and closed the gap between them._

_"But I'm really interested in knowing all about it. Every...last...detail!" There was a glint in her eyes that screamed_ tease _!_

_"Really? You want me to bore you with the details of how we can keep costs of stationary low, as a department? What brand of paperclips would you like me to tell you about first? Or do you want a run down of the essentials? Staples!..." Her smirk drew him in, as he placed a firm but gentle kiss to her lips "Ball point pens!" He sucked at that one place on her neck that drove her wild. See, he knew these things. Lucas Ripley was diligent! Details were important to him. "Erasers?" Nuzzling her neck, he knew he'd won, as she let out a throaty moan, before pushing against his chest._

_"Okay...So I don't give a damn about your boring conference! Shut up about stationary and show me your equipment!" She rushed, pulling aggressively at his shirt buttons. She pulled him back in to her, pressing her lips against his in a fiery kiss, as her tongue brushed against his mouth, forcefully and demanding control. It was his turn to moan._

_Yes, he'd definitely missed this!_

"Chief!" The voice called "Open your eyes, Chief!" 

It was almost as though he was swimming in a sea of darkness. The voice was still calling, but when he opened his mouth to answer, nothing came out.

Strangely, though muffled, the voice seemed to be getting closer.

_Who was it? Where were they?_

The voice grew more panicked as it continued to shout his name.

_Were they in trouble? Did they need help?_

"Open your eyes, Chief!" He hasn't realised they were closed. Frowning, he forced them open, squinting at the effort.

Montgomery's face hovered over him, his mouth moving frantically, eyes sharp and full of concern, but he sounded far away. Like when you were submerged in a bath of water, listening to some one talk to you from above the surface!

As the muffled sound, slowly regulated, Ripley felt concern for what was going on.

“Wh-what happened?” He muttered, he was on the ground, he must have lost consciousness. He slowly began to regain his senses. Looking around frantically, the fog began to clear and he made a move to stand up. “AARGHHH” he screamed as a sharp pain shot through him.

"Don't try to move!" Montgomery demanded, pushing his shoulders back down. When Lucas glanced down to where the pain had radiated from, his eyes widened, dramatically. He saw a slab of concrete lying next to him.

Attached to the slab was a thick iron rod which appeared to be the cause of his own discomfort...because it had penetrated his abdomen.

His shirt was red with blood as more seemed to gush from around the metal.

_Was it normal to be this concerned over a torn shirt?_

Swallowing with great difficulty, trying not to think about the pain and looking around at the rubble that surrounded them, He tried to focus on his role in this situation.

“Report Montgomery.” He whispered hoarsely. 

“Sir, I-I think there was an earthquake or explosion or something. I’m not sure. Everything started to shake and fall around us. You were knocked unconscious. I m--managed to get some slabs off of you, but then I saw…” Montgomery looked down at his abdomen, definite fear in his eyes. “Penetrating wound to the lower abdomen sir. The pole is attached to the concrete so we don't what to move it or you. We don’t know how deep it goes and can’t risk you bleeding out without help.”

Ripley nodded. It hurt like hell and he felt dizzy, but whether it was from the blood loss or being hit on the head by falling debris, Lucas wasn't sure.

“What’s the situation like?” 

Montgomery sighed looking around. “Looks like we’re surrounded by fallen debris. Maybe 5 metres diameter. Tried calling for help but the Radios are dead.”

Ripley closed his eyes again he was struggling to take in what Montgomery was saying.

_He wanted to sleep! Maybe he could go back to that dream. No it wasn't a dream, it was a memory. Though, anything including Victoria was like a dream._

Lucas felt the curve of a smile as he thought of her, before he was jolted from his reverie.

“Sir!” His eyes jolted open at the sound of Montgomery's desperate voice. What had he been saying again? Oh yes, the radio. Help.

The feeling that had been slowly building in him, without a name got stronger, before his brain pinpointed what it was.

_Panic!_

Victoria! The other team. She was in the other tunnel. Oh god! What had happened to her? Was she is a similar position, or worse? His eyes widened in alarm as he looked at the other firefighter.

“The other team? Hughes?! Um…” what was the other guys name. He couldn’t think.”Um D-Davis?” He couldn’t care less about Davis. He needed to know Vic was okay. 

Montgomery’s face looked glum as he shook his head. “No radio contact sir. No idea what happened or where they were and if they’re affected. It’s just you and me right now.”

No no no! This wasn’t happening. Vic could be trapped or hurt. He wasn’t just going to lie there while she….

“Montgomery, help me move this rock. We've got to get out of here.” 

“I’ve tried, sir. It’s too heavy and we don’t want the pole going in more, or moving in any way.”

“We've got to try dammit! I can’t leave h…” he cut himself off and took a breath. “Just help me try.”

He tried to push with the hand that could reach the slab while Montgomery pulled but the heavy block wouldn’t move.

Trying to assess the damage to his abdomen, it felt like the pole was wedged a couple of inches in but Montgomery was right. Risk of blood loss was a major factor and they had no emergency supplies to stem the flow. 

Oh god, what had he done. Why did he send Vic in? Why didn’t he put her on aid?!

_Because you were trying to hide your relationship and not give her special treatment_.

Breathe! Saying it in his head didn't help. He couldn’t think. He was panicking in a very calm way. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and trying to calm his pounding heart.

He was used to being in dangerous situations, he was used to rescuing other people who were in dangerous situations, but he wasn't used to being worried about someone he loved being in the same dangerous situation as him, without him having any idea if she was Okay or if she was...

He needed to know what was happening with Vic. Think damnit! Think! The darkness that he'd managed to fight was penetrating his mind again.

What if she was…

_"It's been a really bad day! I had to change my uniform three times! I threw one away, it was so bad...a bowel obstruction is all I feel the need to say!" Vic moaned, pitifully, as she stripped down to her underwear and threw her self backwards onto his bed._

_Lucas had to fight the urge to smirk at her petulance as well as the idea of her...bad day! She sent him a glare._

_"Shut up!" She cried_

_"What can I do?" He asked her, his tone full of amusement._

_Vic looked at him, eyes glinting for a minute and he swallowed, instantly regretting the offer._

_"I'll go easy on you! A massage!"_

_"A massage?" He questioned, unbelievingly._

_"Make it a naked massage so I can have my wicked way with you afterwards!" She grinned and he chuckled._

_"Well, how could I deny you, when you ask so politely?" Lucas added, pulling his shirt over his head._

_Tracing his fingers up her arm then down her back, Lucas straddled her back remembering to use his knees to support his weight so that he didn't crush her._

_"Mmm! That's so good!" Vic moaned as he kneaded at the muscles in her upper back and shoulders._

_He placed delicate kisses along her shoulder blade as he continued to rub._

_"Oh god!" She practically purred the words and his heart beat a little faster at the sound of his name on her lips. "Lucas!" The flutter wasn't an unusual feeling anymore. It had happened a few times. Mainly when she moaned his name like that. But, this was the first time he'd felt it, when they weren't engaged in_ _other_ activities _._

_It'd been more than sex for a while. But the rush of warmth that flooded his entire body had little to do with the rush of warmth that flooded his loins when she uttered his name during sex._

_He drew his hands back over her shoulders and slowly kneaded down her spine, trailing kisses behind his touch as he contemplated the recent revelation he'd had._

_Maybe, just maybe...no, he was pretty certain...just not certain enough to voice it...Lucas Ripley was in love with Victoria Hughes... irrevocably so!_

_He'd been ready to say it for a while now! Why hadn't he? He'd been worried that it would scare her._

_But the idea of losing her before he was able to say it scared him more._

  
“M—Montgomery?” Ripley’s mouth was dry. The younger man rushed over to him anxiously.

“You’re awake! You’ve got to stop scaring me like that, I’m not sure my heart can take it.” He smiled charmingly making Lucas chuckle before he winced. Laughing hurt!

“Any news?” His voice was hoarse and raspy. He tried to clear his throat to make the scratchy feeling go away but to no avail. He’d do anything for some water right about now.

“Still radio silence. Hopefully, someone’s realised we’re in trouble by now. It’s been a few hours. They should be looking for us.”

Trying to speak, he couldn't get the words past the coughing fit the proceeded to wrack his body. His throat burned and the vibrations of the coughing caused pain to shoot through him. All of that movement in turn, made the rod that was currently impaling him, shift. He let out a low groan, breathing deeply.

This was hell. He was in hell. 

That realisation was only furthered by the idea that he had no clue what state Vic was in _and_ she wasn't talking to him. This was definitely hell! Fighting with her was not worth the emotional hell he was in, thinking this couldn’t be the last thing they ever said to each other!

The physical pain wasn’t getting worse. He was grateful for that. Until he realised he was starting to feel numb. His limbs had gone to sleep and he felt weak. 

“M- -Montgomery any news?” He whispered.

Montgomery’s face contorted in concern. Lucas saw the firefighter reach up to feel his forehead.

“Sir, you’re burning up. We need to get you out of here.”

“I n-need you to…. help me… secure the pole.” He muttered closing his eyes. “The whole…roof could collapse.”

“Sir?”Montgomery said, confused. He watched the chief fight to keep his eyes open.

“It’s okay..we can go to HR. It will be okay…. eggy.”

“Sir? Sir? Don’t fall asleep again it’s me Montgomery.” Eggy? Who or what the hell was an eggy. The chief opened his eyes staring straight at him. Wow, his eyes were really blue! And that hair! 

“I’m so lucky to have ….found you. I-I want to spend…the rest …of my life…with you. Sc-Screw pro…to..col.”

If Montgomery wasn’t concerned about the chief dying he’d probably find his love confessions very sweet. Whoever she was, she was one lucky girl. The chief had closed his eyes again his breathing hadn’t changed so Montgomery was sure he wasn’t unconscious…yet.

“My eggy.” He whispered with a soft smile. Nope definitely not unconscious “Don’t go Victoria, I’m sorry.”

Hmm interesting. Was Victoria his ex wife? He’d heard the chief was divorced. That would make sense with the going to HR comment earlier, kind of. He watched the chiefs face change with different emotions. He must be delirious. “I …could never …fire you …Victoria… I love you.”

At that Travis’s eyes bulged. Victoria? As in Hughes?! Was he talking about his best friend? The chief was in love with Vic? What the… was all his babbling about Vic? Was Vic, eggy? Was she going to report him to HR? No no! He said _they_ could go to HR. He said screw protocol. Were they involved? 

He looked at the chief before noticing his breathing had changed. He’d passed out again. Dammit! where the hell was rescue!

_It wasn't like he enjoyed being shoved into closets!_

_At 44 years old, there weren't many things more demeaning to a man! But, the self preservation instinct was stronger than the feeling of embarrassment that met him, as he cowered beneath the many items of fabric that made up her wardrobe._

_The voices were muffled, but he could make out Montgomery as he spoke_

_"What are you doing?" The younger man asked, sounding sceptical._

_"Nothing!" Her voice was high and irregular. Damn it, if him hiding in a cupboard didn't give them away, the tone of voice, she was using to try to convince her friend that everything was normal, would._

_"Really? You're just wandering around half naked in the middle of the day when we have plans, because you felt like it?"_

_"Urmm...I forgot!" It was more of a shriek than speech, "I forgot we had plans...I was... going....to have a shower. Yes! I was going to have a shower!_

_She'd told him she was notorious for being a bad liar, but so far, she'd managed to keep their relationship a secret, so he'd figured she was being over dramatic._ Until now _._

_Victoria Hughes, was a bad liar. A really,_ really _bad liar. He could practically hear her sweating as she struggled to make excuses._

_"Hmmm!" Montgomery mumbled not sounding convinced. "Well hurry up and get dressed or we'll be late!"_

_"Yeah, I'm hurrying. Just give me two minutes!" Lucas heard a scuffle, before the click indicating the door had shut. "Sorry! I'm so sorry!" Vic declared quietly, swinging the doors open._

_"You made plans and forgot? Really? That could have been an absolute disaster. I mean, me skulking in your closet isn't much better than being caught with my actual pants down, but, he could have seen me. Then what would have happened?" Lucas hissed, furiously and Vic's eyebrows shot up._

_"We would have laughed as Montgomery tried to come to terms with it...and totally checked your bare ass out!" Vic smirked, whispering in amusement._

_"You think this is funny? It's not, damnit! This is my career, Victoria! I'm not willing to risk it for your amusement, so that you and your buddy can have a good laugh! Everything about this- us- is completely against protocol-" Vic recoiled her previous joviality gone._

_"You think that's what this is about for me? Having a laugh? Like my career isn't at stake too?" The scoff he returned made her face flush in fury. "So your career is more important than mine? Why? Because you're the chief and I'm your subordinate? Were you ever planning to take the next step with me? Were we ever going to go public with this or was I just an easy lay?" Her words dripped like venom, as she yanked her jeans up her legs shooting daggers at him._

_"That's not what I meant! Just...stop, let me expla--" he backtracked, desperately. He hadn't meant it like that. He was just freaked out by the close call they'd had._

_"No, you've pretty much said everything you needed to!" She muttered, defeatedly, pulling a plain t-shirt over her head, grabbing the sweater she'd worn the day before and forcing a bright smile onto her face, as she left the room._

_The slam of the door, echoed around him as he stood, butt naked and alone in her apartment, rubbing at his beard!_

Well, fuck! That went well...

"Montgomery!" Lucas called weakly. He was cold now. His pulse was weak and rapid. If they didn't get help soon...

"Sir...don't try to talk. You need to save your energy! I'm sure help is coming...they'll be here...any second...you'll see!" Montgomery rushed, blinking rapidly.

"Travis! Listen to me!" Speaking was becoming a struggle. Breathing was becoming a struggle. "I need you to do something for me!"

"Anything you need, sir!" Travis sniffed.

"I need you to tell Vic...tell her I'm sorry!" His voice was raspy and he wasn't sure if Montgomery could hear his words anymore, but he had to try.

"Sir?" Montgomery looked puzzled, his eyebrows knotted.

"Tell her...I'm all in. Screw protocol! Tell her I--" 

"Chief! No...no, no, no! Keep talking to me...open your eyes!" Lucas could hear the panic, but staying awake was making him tired. He just needed five minutes.

“Hellooooooo...Hellooooooo?"

Blinking, he forced his eyes open at the muffled shouting that sounded like a fog horn. 

“Vic?” he whispered attracting the attention of the blurry silhouette, standing in front of him. He couldn’t focus properly. The person spoke.

"We're getting out! You need to stay awake!"

It was Montgomery, his big freckly face in front of him. He was smiling.

“They’ve found us.” He grinned. “Hang in there chief. They’re coming. We're getting out!”

He tried to comprehend what was being said. The words were jumbled and unclear. Who had found them?

Just then a beam of light shone into the darkness, Lucas couldn’t even lift his heavy arm to shield his eyes, closing them instead.

The warmth of the darkness enveloped him. He was ready to let go, ready to submerge in it. It reminded him of snuggling with Vic. Sleep was easy, cuddled next to her.

“The chiefs injured. He's lost a lot of blood, he’s been running a fever and he's delirious.” 

Damnit, could he never have a full nights sleep?

Groaning angrily at the light being shone directly into his eyes, Lucas tried to focus on the ass behind the torch! He was planning to throttle them.

Bishop! 

Well, she was fired! As soon as he had the strength, he was firing her ass! For waking him up!

“Let’s get him up. On 3.” 

Miller, too!

Lucas groaned at the pain that shot through him, once again. He felt something on his face. A mask. He was being lifted. Moving.

Why were they here? Why were they in his bedroom? Why were they putting a mask on his face?

Where the hell was Vic?

"Vic?" He called out, trying to get her attention, so she could get rid of them. She must have heard him...because it was quiet now.

The noise had stopped. The lights were off. The prodding had finished.

He could sleep...finally!

**Author's Note:**

> You love my title!!! 🤣🤭 Right?


End file.
